View full sizeA line of cars on southbound Shelby County Road 26 on Tuesday, July 17, 2013, wait to turn onto Highway 70 west of Columbiana, where improvement plans are under way to improve the intersection with a traffic signal and added lanes. (Martin J. Reed / mreed@al.com)

COLUMBIANA, Alabama -- Columbiana Mayor Stancil Handley at
Tuesday night's City Council meeting expressed excitement about anticipated
improvements to the busy intersection at Highway 70 and Shelby County Road 26.

Handley informed council members during their meeting Tuesday
night about a construction agreement he has received between the city and the
Alabama Department of Transportation for planned work at the intersection.

"That, to me, is probably the biggest thing that's
happened in my eight months as mayor," Handley said. "That's been a 10-month
project to get them to sign up and get on board."

Handley told the council he is expecting an engineering
firm to start working on the project that will include creation of dedicated turn
lanes at the intersection, widened roads and a traffic signal. He didn't know
when the project would commence.

"It's just going to open up all kinds of avenues for us
to move forward," Handley said about benefits for the city.

The mayor told council members he has spoken with a
landowner with property in the vicinity of the intersection who is planning to
begin development due to the improvements.

"He told me he was planning on developing that property
if we got this intersection worked out," Handley said. "He said he is ready to
drop a blade out there and start pushing some dirt."

Councilman Ricky Ruston asked whether the construction
project would result in temporary closure of the intersection.

"I don't think they would ever shut it down," Handley
responded, noting the project may result in single-lane closures.